Fluid lift



Aug. 22, 1939. L BA CRQCKER ET AL 2,170,587

FLUID LIFT Filed Deo. 12, 1936 4 Z0 A 3mm @MQ-Pr.

Patented Aug. 22, 1939 FLUID LIFT Ivan B. Crocker, Garnett, Kans., and Drannan C. Worthy, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Application December 12, 1936, Serial No. 115,604

1 Claim.

The present invention has for its objects the provision of novel means for lifting liquid in a well. The invention aims to provide a structure which will employ hot gas or other fluid to lift the liquid. The invention aims, further, to provide a device which will eliminate the coagulation of paraflin, and thereby control the amount of paraiiin in the oil, as it comes from the well, the amount of paraflin in the oil being decreased, and the well being given a longer life. Another object of the invention is to supply a novel means whereby the hot gas or other uid is carried down to the bottom of the well, and then directed upwardly, to lift the liquid in the well.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and to enhance the utility of devices of that type to which the present invention appertains.

With the above and other objects in View, which will `appear 'as the description proceeds, the invention resides inthe combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimed, without del parting from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 shows in elevation, a device constructed in accordance with the invention, parts being in section;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on an enlarged scale, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

The numeral I marks la pipe, of any desired diameter, through the instrumentality of which, gas, air or other uid under pressure is delivered to a heater which, as a whole, is designated by the reference letter H. The heater H may be of any desired construction, and in order to re-gulate the flow of the pressure fluid to the heater H, a valve 2, under the control of an operator, is interposed in the fluid delivery pipe I, the valve being located outside the heater.

As shown, but by no means of necessity, the heater H embodies a sinuous pipe 4, located within a casing 5 and connected at its lower end to the fluid delivery pipe I. The loops B of the pipe 4 are joined securely together by braces l. Any suitable means may be furnished for supplying the necessary heat, a burner B being indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawing. The construction of the (Cl. 10S- 260) burner is left to the discretion of the person installing the device.

The pipe 4 is connected to a pipe 8, in which is interposed a valve 9, the valve 9 being employed to regulate the pressure that is delivered 5 to the well. The valve 9 is under the control of an operator. A pressure gauge IIJ is interposed in the pipe 8.

The fluid pressure conduit including the pipe I, the pipe 4 and the pipe 8, has a depending 10 vertical arm II which extends downwardly toa point closely adjacent to the bottom of the well tubin-g I2. A sleeve I4, defining a fluid chamber, is `disposed about the arm II and is open at both ends. A check valve I5 is interposed in the arm 16 II and is located within the sleeve I4, the check valve serving to prevent liquid from rising in the arm I I of the pipe 8. The upper end of the sleeve I4 is connected to the pipe II by upper braces IB.

Disposed within the sleeve I4, about the arm I I, 20 and spaced from both the arm. I I and the sleeve I4, is a tubular nozzle I'I, including a bottom I8 which closes the lower end of the arm II of the pipe 8, the bottom closing the lower end of the nozzle Il also. The nozzle I'I is connected to the 25 arm `II of the pipe 8 by upper braces I9. The lower end of the nozzle I'I is connected to the sleeve I4 by lower braces 20. Within the tubular nozzle I9, the arm II of the pipe 8 is supplied with any desired number of perforations 2|.

In practical operation, the gas or air, regulated by the valve 2, moves through the pipe I, into the heater pipe 4, the air or gas being heated by the burner B or its equivalent. The heated uid moves through the pipe 8, the pressure being regulated by the valve 9, and the gauge I0 indicating the pressure that is being maintained within the well.

The fluid under pressure moves downwardly through the arm I I and passes into the nozzle I'I by way of the perforations 2 I. The fluid under pressure is directed upwardly by the nozzle I1, since the nozzle I 1 is closed at its bottom, as shown at I8. The fluid under pressure moves upwardly through the sleeve I4 and carries the liq- 4 uid with it, the liquid being directed to the top of the well.

The device is simple in construction, but will be found thoroughly effective to carry out and attain the objects set forth in the opening portion 5o of this specification.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

In a device of the class described, a fluid pressure pipe adapted to be extended downwardly 55 into a well, a sleeve about the lower portion of the pipe, a nozzle within the sleeve and open at its upper end, the nozzle having an integral transverse bottom integrally closing the lower end of the pipe, the nozzle being shorter than the sleeve, the pipe having perforations establishing communication between the pipe and the nozzle, the sleeve being open at its upper and lower ends, the nozzle and the sleeve each being of a common internal diameter and of a common external diameter from end to end, and at least so much of the pipe as is within the sleeve being of a common internal diameter and a common external diameter, there being annular spaces, each of a common diameter, from end to end, between the sleeve and the nozzle and between the nozzle and the pipe, a check Valve interposed in the pipe and located in the sleeve, above the nozzle, means for securing the sleeve to the pipe, above the check valve, and means for securing the nozzle to the sleeve, below the check valve.

IVAN B. CROCKER. DRANNAN C. WORTI-IY. 

